Feline medicine has experienced a surge of interest over the past decade, with increasing research on cat specific diseases and conditions.  It’s estimated that there are up to 373 million cats kept as pets worldwide and this number continues to grow.   The recently released 2025 World of the Cat Report offers insights into feline-specific veterinary care.  Developed by Hill’s Pet Nutrition’s new Cat Advisory Team, (C.A.T.), which includes leading Canadian feline specialist Dr. Susan Little, the report covers cat demographics, population statistics, pet food advances, and the effect of cost on veterinary care and nutrition.

Cat demographics

Pet ownership is increasing worldwide, with Russia having the highest share of cat owners globally.  The other population of cats is strays.  In the United States alone, there are approximately 30 to 40 million stray, feral or uncared-for cats. 

There are 73 cat breeds recognized by the International Cat Association.  The 3 most popular breeds worldwide are the Ragdoll, Maine Coon, and Devon Rex.  Breed popularity varies across the globe, with the Exotic Shorthair being the most popular breed in the United States, ahead of the Ragdoll.  In the United Kingdom, the British Shorthair is most popular, followed by the Bengal.  Cat procurement is generally from animal shelters, breeders, or from a friend, neighbour or relative. 

Most common feline diagnoses

Urinary tract disease, encompassing both infectious and non-infectious lower urinary tract conditions, is one of the most common feline diagnoses.  Other top conditions diagnosed in cats include:

• Gastrointestinal disease
• Upper respiratory tract disease
• Overweight/Obesity
• Dental disease                         
• Urinary tract disease (upper and lower)
• Kidney disease
• Behaviour concerns

Feline immunodeficiency virus and feline leukemia remain two of the most common infectious diseases worldwide.

Feline veterinary experts

Worldwide, there were a total of 96 American Board of Veterinary Practitioners (ABVP) Feline diplomates at the end of 2024.  Over two thousand practices have achieved one of two ‘cat friendly’ designations: the ISFM Cat Friendly clinic program, available in 31 countries, and the Cat Friendly Practice® program licensed by the Feline Veterinary Medical Association (Feline VMA) in North and South America. At the end of 2023, there were 880 Cat Friendly Practices®, with another 355 in progress.

The ‘cat friendly’ designations have made a positive contribution to feline health and well-being during the past 12 years.  A study published in late 2023 found that cat friendly practices had higher revenue per visit, higher revenue per visit when diagnostic testing was done, higher mean visits per cat per year, and more diagnoses of common endocrine, kidney, and electrolyte conditions.  As well, in practices following the cat friendly guidelines, pet parents are better prepared and satisfied, stress is reduced during clinic visits, retention is improved, and cats are seen more frequently. 

Since 2020, thirteen new guidelines for feline practice have been released by the Feline VMA and ISFM. These cover feline medicine, wellness, the veterinary environment, and how the veterinary health care team should interact with cats in the clinic.  As well, at least 12 new feline-specific textbooks have been published in the last five years.

New treatments and diagnostic tests

New treatments and diagnostic tests are available to help veterinarians treat cats with veterinary visit fear and anxiety, and manage cats with diabetes mellitus, feline infectious peritonitis (FIP), and chronic kidney disease (CKD). Some of these are:

Bonqat® ( Zoetis)

• A pregabalin oral solution that is more potent than gabapentin.
• It is indicated for the alleviation of feline acute anxiety and fear associated with transportation and veterinary visits.
• Available in the US; not yet available in Canada.

Fibroblast growth factor 23 (FGF-23) test (IDEXX)

• A lab test to measure FGF-23 serum concentration.
• Offers a new method for managing and monitoring phosphorus overload and metabolic bone disease in cats in IRIS CKD stages 1 or 2.

Cystatin B lab test (IDEXX)

• Another newly available lab test, it will show acute kidney injury earlier than increases in SDMA or creatinine.
• This assessment can be important in many cases, including potential toxin exposure, tracking treatment and recovery after acute kidney injury, monitoring progression from IRIS stage 1 CKD, screening for injury following NSAID use, and assessing the pet after a hypotensive event during anesthesia.

Varenzin™-CA1 (Elanco)

• Molidustat oral suspension is the first conditionally licensed veterinary option for treating nonregenerative anemia in cats with CKD.
• Stimulates endogenous production of erythropoietin when given daily.
• Available in the US and Canada.

Bexacat™ (Elanco) and Senvelgo® (Boehringer Ingelheim)

• Two new oral hypoglycemic agents approved for use in cats, bexagliflozin and velagliflozin.
• These SGLT2 inhibitors inhibit glucose resorption from the proximal tubule of the kidney and are indicated for treatment of newly diagnosed diabetes mellitus.
• They decrease blood glucose, decrease serum fructosamine concentration, and improve clinical signs in a majority of newly diagnosed diabetic cats.
• Available in the US and Canada.

GS-441524

• An antiviral drug that inhibits the replication of feline coronavirus strains that cause FIP.
• GS-441524 is a highly effective treatment for FIP, which was almost routinely a fatal condition.
• Available in the US, and Canada (Trutina Pharmacy), as an oral formulation.

Pet food advances

The Association for Pet Obesity Prevention’s 2022 US Pet Obesity Prevalence Survey found that a staggering 61% of pet cats are overweight or obese in the United States, indicating a widespread problem with pet health. A survey conducted in late 2023 revealed a lack of awareness of this problem on the part of pet parents. Only 28% of those surveyed believed their cat was overweight or obese, while 57% believed that their cat was at a healthy/optimal body condition.

Ontario Veterinary College recently surveyed cat owners in North America as part of a study which was designed to determine the relative importance of information communicated to cat owners during veterinarian-client obesity-related conversations. Owners indicated that the impact of excess weight on life expectancy, in a conversation with a veterinarian about their overweight or obese cat, would most encourage them to pursue weight management for their pet.

Dry kibble continues to be the most popular form of pet food fed to cats, and treats are also popular. Use of wet food, in single cans, multi-serving cans, or pouches, is steady or increasing in most countries. Feline diseases and conditions have new research leading to some new nutritional management technologies. For example, Hill’s Pet Nutrition has developed a proprietary blend of prebiotic fibers (ActivBiome+) that works with, and is utilized by, each cat’s unique bacterial population allowing the beneficial bacteria to thrive.

Effect of cost on pet food and veterinary care

Costs of veterinary care and pet food have some effect on the behavior of pet parents. Top reasons for pet owners to switch brands of pet food are cost, perceived value, and available promotions. Other reasons for changing brands include recommendation by a veterinarian or veterinary health care team member and finding a food that the pet prefers the taste of.

Many cat owners with cats on therapeutic pet foods tell their veterinarians that they switched to non-therapeutic foods due to financial pressures, or they refused a prescribed therapeutic pet food. Some cat owners cut out medication for a specific health condition and others spaced out medication for financial reasons.

Approximately one-third of cat owners have made cutbacks to veterinary-related expenses. Veterinarians have seen treatment delay or cessation among cats suffering from all major health conditions. Dental issues and obesity lead the list, and mobility issues and kidney or urinary issues have gone untreated in cats.

Only 40% of cats visit the veterinarian annually.  Among pet owners, a range of 6% in Spain to 15% in the US say they had not visited their veterinarian in the last 12 months. Following ‘my pet was not ill,’ the next most common reasons for not visiting the veterinarian were that it has become too costly, and that the pet gets stressed when going to the vet. CVP

Source:  2025 Hill’s Pet Nutrition World of the Cat Report